$5.99Sudden Strike 3 Slow, Brutal Wartime Command
You command huge combined armies of land, sea and air units across massive World War II battlefields.
Is Sudden Strike 3 worth it?
Sudden Strike 3 is worth it if…
- you like long, methodical battles where patience beats reflexes
- you enjoy commanding thousands of troops across several fronts at once
- you would rather lose slowly and learn than win in half an hour
- you want combined arms: tanks, artillery, ships and aircraft in one battle
Screenshots
Battles the size of a real front
The maps here are big, several square kilometers, and the battles fill them. More than 300 historically modeled tanks, ships, guns, soldiers and aircraft fight at once, and you can zoom out far enough to see the whole front at a glance. You land troops on beaches while battleships shell the shore, push tanks through hedgerows, and call in airstrikes when the navy's guns are not enough. This is not a game you win in thirty minutes: a single mission can take a couple of hours, and rushing is the fastest way to lose everything. You advance step by step, spot for your guns, and only then commit.
Five campaigns, two expansions included
You fight for five armies: American, British, German, Soviet and Imperial Japanese, from the European theater to the landing and defense of Iwo Jima. The pack also includes the "Arms to Victory" and "The Last Stand" expansions, so there is a lot of campaign to work through. Reinforcements are limited and arrive only as you take objectives, so every platoon counts: medics heal the wounded, supply trucks bring ammunition, engineers repair tanks and lay mines on the approaches. A map editor lets you build your own missions on top of all that. The Iwo Jima defense, with Japanese troops dug into tunnels that open behind your lines, is a highlight.
What should you know before starting?
Can you play it solo?
Yes, the five campaigns and the two included expansions are all single player, and that is where most of the game lives. There is multiplayer as well, but the campaigns alone run to dozens of long missions.
How hard is it?
Very. Even on easy, the enemy sees your positions and hits them with artillery, while your own view of the battlefield is limited. You will lose units to entrenched machine guns and endless enemy reinforcements, and saving often is part of the routine. If you want a fair fight, expect a steep one.
Is the controls situation as bad as people claim?
Units sometimes take the long way around obstacles or ignore an order, so you end up micromanaging individual squads more than you would like. It is the game's most common complaint, and it matters most in the biggest battles. Patience with your troops' pathfinding is part of the deal.
Any tips before the first mission?
Do not lead with tanks, not even scout cars: infantry spot, artillery and tanks fire from range, and only then do the vehicles move up. Bomb entrenched positions before advancing, and destroy enemy rocket launchers and howitzers early, because they can wipe out an army in one barrage. Take your time, there are few timers.
